KELLY'S KOSY KORNER.

NZ Truth, Issue 124, 2 November 1907, Page 6

KELLY'S KOSY KORNER.

« HE LODGER IN EVIDENCE AGAIN. A Dirty Drama of Dixon-street Step-sons Stoush Their Mother's Mash.

No. 38 Dixon-street, Wellington, fcas been the scene of unusual ' 'happenings lately. Henry and Rose Kelly used to keep . a boarding-house .there, but* Henry went out of the feouse rather suddenly one day, and a person named John Kelly, who is no relation of Henry's, joined Rose m ,the lodger business. Rose was twice married, and the late lamented Elr ilice, who was her first venture, left Jher with two sons, now verging on :nauhood. who suspected that John Kelly's intimacy with tbeir mother wasn't all that it ought to be, and they expressed their displeasure by* falling on John and pummelling him. .The two youths were charged with assault m the Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, and John Kelly, m evidence, said they were the sohs- of Rose Kelly, who was living with him, but was not his wife. He first catiie to the house m Dixon-street fcwo- months ago. when there were Jiving m the building Henry Kelly, Rose (his wife), and their two stepsons, the ElHce brothers. John Kelly was the lodger, and later John and Rose took over the house together, hut he didn't turn the husband out. Henry Kelly came back for his dothes find a letter from the agent ; was handed to .him, showing that 'John :ind Rose had taken over the edifice. When John stayed • on ' with the woman, there was trouble from tie start .with the two boys. ' . In reply to Mr Johnston witness said it was not true that he had formed an attachment with Mrs "X el--Iv. and he did not fall out with. the toys because they refused to go to j bed until they saw Kellv RETIRE TO HIS VIRTUOUS >• OOUCH. ■ He didn't bring liquor into the house for Mrs Kelly's consumption... , The domestic relationship with the rboys became so warm that Kelly had rto call m a- constable to put them out. .The assault took place on a Satur-: day during Trentham week shortly after six o'clock. Kelly was sitting at the table and. Mrs Pusfly was looking after the evening meal, when the door was thrown open aad Billy. Ellice rushed m and planted a dirty one between Keilv's two eyes. Kelly arose to grapple with Ms assailant, when the othea* youth, Harry, landed him one on the paint. There were a number of lodgers m the room and the boys were buwdled out,' On ifche following Tuesday evening' ' the two. miscreants returned aud swairmed all over Kelly, whose (teeth ircere severely damaged. Kelly said he ■dirt do some work, but he was still Jiving m the hoase with Mrs Kelly. To Mr Cook : Prior to witness taking over the house with Mrs Kelly, /the bailiffs were put m for a debt of S£s, and it was t&te suggestion of the landlord. Mr Eggcrs, that the house should be taken over i»n the names* of fiimself and of Mrs Kelly. Tte boys were always quarrelling, and one of ithem, came m oc-casaon-allyi under the influence of beer. r .THERE .WAS NO IM,PKOP.ERfc3N- i T33L&OY -: : between hiioself and ' Mrs Kelly.,, Rose ■'Kelly stated that the house • had originally : been m the nsesie of : Henry Kelly, who wen* out of the business .when the bailiffs appeared. /John Kelly went halves with her m ithe boarding-house. The accusedyouths, who were her sons, hjad vio- s lenfcly enveloped John m the manner idescribed. One held him wlile the ■other punched Mm>, and I*e assail>ants dragged him to the side en•trance, where a crowdi assembled.. fThe boys came back on several, occasions during the next :week. Kill, ,the eldest youtlv, hadn't t>een a good \hoy to her, said she didn't know, •.where he worked. The youngest, . Harry, was eighteen, and; did very, ■little. 'She was making an honest, {straightforward living, and there had 4)een no / improper relationship be;*.tween Ker and John Kelliy. To ,tvlr Johnston : She* didn't tell ffier husband to clear orat. The eldest ffooy put his box out m t&e yard. She idi/.n't think that she agreed withWohn Kelly that her lmsbiand should*Vt remain with > her." That had been by Mr Eggers, the laml-f-lord. The boys had been giving a of their wages to her when Ithej worked. She was also receivfing the interest on a svm invested m (£IC to £18 half-yearly), > which was to be paid to her on the < : boys' behalf unrtil thery reached the .';age of twenty-four yesjrs. She refused )ito regard it as paying for the boys' It was correct that the iboys had been turned out with the \aid of a constable. They remained a ■week after her husband left. She hadn't objected /to be boys remaining up until John Kelly went to bed, '-but ithe eldest boy used to come home |ate m a drunken state when he got jJris wages. Neither she nor ■ John fKelly brought liquor into the house. [She was still conducting the home tin company with John, but Ithe boys had no grievance jon account of John's intimacy with .'her. She did not recollect being ill jiOti one occasion, when John brought. ■ some beer insto her bedroom, SMe deified any hotel-keeper to say that he V-had seen her m his bar. To Mr Cook : The fatHer,. Henry Kelly, was paying her 10s a week •for the keep of two younger chiMren. Harry was not so strong as Ms elder brother, but he was strong enough i.to knock her down. Has he ever done*rf.hat ?— .Yes,, -both ; of them. James Kelso, one of the boarders, ygavo evidence concerning the furious onslaught on Kelly, but his .testimony was disco'imted by tbe fact that He 1 wasn't sober at the time. Mr Johnston submitted that the .very peculiar relationship, between .the boys' mother and John Kelly m their joint tenancy was responsible for the .disturbance that existed, lie called Constable Packer to prove that he had been sent for by John Kelly at .7.10 p.m. on October 19. John lodged a complaint about the assault, and the constable observed Ithat the nrajorifcy" of those pi-esent £ appeared to be m drijik. When Lie had a BSeti job ,ikat beat lie had frequently t

, accosted drunken men, who informed - him they were going to 38 Dixon- - street, occupied by the Kellys. He J asked Mrs Kelly who owned the 5 house, and she replied, "I do." She l- then indicated John Kelly as being ) her husband. ] To Mr Cook? Hie had never reportJ ed the boarding-house as being an " undesirable abode prior to his visit, j. but he had since informed his super--1 iors that he know the house very . well ; it was not an orderly place, [ and was an abode where drunken r men were wont to assemble. Henry Kelly, husband of Rose, said i HE SUSPECTED IMMORAL RE- » . LATIONSHIP between John Kelly and his wife. Before Henry left the house John was m the habit of sitting up with the vvoman and drinking with her till 1.1 o'clock at night. One night when he was clearing away the tea things the husband found a bottle of whisky •that John Kelly had hidden away 'for future consumption m the house. Henry didn't drink himself. William Ellice, one of the defendants, said that one evening John Kelly had knocked him up and told him m confidence that he loved Mrs Kelly and that Mrs Kelly loved him. He asked Bill wftat he would do, and Bill replied forcibly that the best thing he could do was to pack his portmanteau and get out. When the bailiffs appeared, his step-father didn't seem , to know what to do and left the house. Returning for his clothes, Henry was told by John to clear out. Subsequently Mrs Kelly and John were sitting up very late at night, and William remained up also, a circumstance that appeared to cause the pair annoyance. The trouble culminated m a row one night, and Mrs Kelly said that, ii John Kelly wouldn't go for a policeman, to have the two boys put out she would go herself. A policeman duly arrived, and they had to seek lodgings elsewhere. They stayed here till the following Saturday, when. Bill- and his brother went home for their clothes. Either his mother or his sister came to the door, which 'was closed m their faces. Bill opened the door and asked, "Where's Jack ?". Before he knew where he was Kelly caught hold of him and pulled him outside. Kelly seized him by the throat and was choking him, when someone interfered. Kelly a* gain caught him by the throat, and Bill • received a blow on face. Which felled him. William "went a second time for his clothes ami was met by a boarder named Flint, with whom he had a struggle. He used to give three-parts of his wages to his mother, and there was no trouble m the house UNTIL; THE ADVENT OF, 'JOHN: KELLY. ,>lt was-itrueihe had a drink occasionally, and he had even been drhilrfng with John Kelly m the house. He suspected that gentleman was n*>w. living m immorality with his miot&er. He had on occasion been sent for drink by his mother, who paid for the lush.■To Mr Cook, William said he haA been fined 5s m Sydney for getting into trou-ble with a policeman. In. Perth, when he was 12 years of age. he was called as a witness m a ease against a man with whom he fead been found m a bath. The witness indignantly objected to this being up, and Magistrate Riddellj wouMn : t allow, the questioning to go i further. Henry Ellice, the other defendant^ gave corroborative evidence. ■ His Worship said the evidence disclosed a rather sordid state of affairs m the family. He considered that John Kelly, who was a boarder m another man's house, was himself considerably to blame. He had gonethere as a lodger- and had turned the husband out, receiving assistance from Mrs K'elly m the operation. On the other the complainants should have *talcen some peaceable means to obtain their clothes, although they hatl RECEIVED CONSIDERA*BLE PROVOCATION. In the opinion of his Worship, t-he complainant, John Kelly, was much more to blame than the two young men, who, however, must be penalised.. William,' who took the major part m the offence, was fined 10s without costs, and Henry,,-5s without costs.